Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, has officially legalised online gaming in the country, after the nation's National Gambling Board called for amendments to current laws.

Although it is not yet clear when the new law will officially come into effect, a report conducted by the gaming association, which highlighted the need for legislation to maintain a safe and secure online gaming industry, resulted in the creation of the South African National Gambling Amendment Bill.

Once signed into law, the NGAB will establish a licensing and regulatory system for the web-gambling sector in an effort to curtail the negative socioeconomic effects of an unregulated system.

Restrictions will be put in place on consumers who are deemed to be spending too much credit on online games. The NGAB also requires that online gambling providers afford fair treatment to their players. Dispute resolution procedures between players and online gambling operators are also set forth in the bill.